Power supply including transformer-less high voltage power oscillators for ozone generation

ABSTRACT

A transformer-less power supply is provided for ozone generation. The power supply advantageously reduces costs and increases reliability of ozone generators. The power supply provides a first AC voltage from a power source to a resonant circuit and the resonant circuit provides a second AC voltage to the ozone generating unit, the second AC voltage being greater than the first AC voltage. A controller for the power supply that adapts to the resonance of the circuit to provide control with a wide tolerance for the high Q circuit component values of the circuit.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/708,445, filed on Aug. 16, 2005, the entire teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Ozone is useful for numerous applications that require a high level of oxidation. For example, ozone is useful for disinfection of drinking water and has been used for water treatment since the early 1900s. More recently, ozone has been used for semiconductor device processing. One application for ozone in semiconductor device processing is forming insulating layers on semiconductor wafers by growing insulating films or by oxidizing thin films on the wafer. For example, high deposition rate chemical vapor deposition of high quality SiO₂ can be accomplished by using a TEOS/ozone process.

Another application for ozone in semiconductor device processing is for cleaning semiconductor wafers and the processing chambers of semiconductor processing equipment. Ozone is particularly useful for removing hydrocarbons from the surface of semiconductor wafers or from processing chambers. Using ozone for cleaning is advantageous because it avoids the use of dangerous chemicals which require costly disposal. In contrast, ozone does not present a toxic waste disposal problem because ozone decays to oxygen without residues.

SUMMARY

Ozone can be generated from oxygen according to a so-called “silent discharge principle.” For instance, ozone can be generated by exposing high purity oxygen to an electrical discharge or an electrical flux. The discharge or flux excites the oxygen molecules, breaking them into their atomic state. The atoms then recombine into a mixture of ozone (O₃) and oxygen (O₂).

Ozone (O₃) is typically produced by passing oxygen through an ozone cell where it is acted upon by an electrical discharge causing the dissolution and recombination of the oxygen atoms into ozone molecules. The electrical discharge or electrical flux needed for ozone generation is produced by applying a high voltage AC power across opposing plates of the ozone cell. The high voltage AC power is produced from transformer-based power oscillators.

Disadvantages of a transformer-based power supply (an oscillator) typically include high cost, limited reliability, and limited range of operation. For example, the high cost is typically due to the high-voltage transformer with multiple windings and special potting requirements for cooling and insulation. Limited reliability is typically due to the topology of the self-oscillator, high voltage corona caused by the dependence of the potting quality, and use of single source unique parts. Limited range of operation with respect to the regulated output voltage is typically due to the self-oscillator topology and use of transformer feedback for the transistor's gate drive.

The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for supplying power using a power supply including transformer-less high voltage power oscillators for ozone generation. Embodiments of the present invention can reduce cost, increase reliability and operation range of ozone generators.

One embodiment includes a power supply having a power source and a resonant circuit coupled to the power source, the power source providing a first AC voltage to the resonant circuit, the resonant circuit providing a second AC voltage for use by an ozone generating unit, the second AC voltage being greater than the first AC voltage. The resonant circuit can apply a substantially resonant voltage to the ozone generating unit in response to the first AC voltage having a frequency substantially close to the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit.

In some embodiments, the resonant circuit can be a series resonant circuit including a resonant inductor coupled in series with a resonant capacitor. The resonant capacitor can be an individual capacitor, a natural capacitance of the ozone generating unit, or a combination of both an individual capacitor and natural capacitance of the ozone generating unit. The resonant circuit has a q-factor greater than or equal to 10. In other embodiments, the resonant circuit can be a parallel resonant circuit including a resonant inductor coupled in parallel with a resonant capacitor. The resonant capacitor can be an individual capacitor, a natural capacitance of the ozone generating unit, or a combination of both an individual capacitor and natural capacitance of the ozone generating unit.

The power source can be a half bridge inverter, a full bridge inverter, and/or a switching power source. The switching elements can be MOSFETs, BJTs, IGBTs, and/or any other type of switching elements.

The power supply can further include a controller providing signals to the power source that cause the power source to modulate the first AC voltage, resulting in the second AC voltage having a desired voltage magnitude. The first AC voltage can be modulated using pulse width modulation and/or frequency modulation. The controller can provide signals to the power source that allows the resonant circuit to operate at its maximum operating resonant frequency. The controller can tune to the maximum operating frequency of the resonant circuit by comparing a sensed input DC current to a set point input current. The controller can control a resonant voltage of the ozone generating unit during self-tuning to the maximum operating frequency of the resonant circuit by comparing a sensed resonant current to a set point resonant current.

Embodiments of the invention also include a power supply for ozone generation. Other embodiments of the invention may be applied for supplying power for generation of any reactive gases.

Advantages of the embodiments of the invention include reduced cost and increased reliability and operation range of ozone generators by eliminating the need for a transformer.

Using a high Q resonant circuit (Q≧10 typically for an ozone generator) instead of a transformer implies that the circuit resonant frequency peak is narrow. Since its center frequency depends on circuit elements with tolerances often wider than the resonance peak width, control of such a circuit can be a problem. A circuit to control high Q resonant circuits allows realization of the advantages above in both ozone generators and in resonant power supplies for other applications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a typical ozone generator;

FIG. 2 is a diagram that illustrates a transformer-based power supply used in an ozone generator according to the prior art;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a power supply having a transformer-less power oscillator for ozone generation in a single ozone cell according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a power supply having a transformer-less power oscillator for ozone generation in a single ozone cell according to a particular embodiment;

FIG. 5A shows a detailed schematic of one embodiment of a frequency modulation controller;

FIG. 5B shows a detailed schematic of one embodiment of a pulse-width modulation controller;

FIG. 6 shows a graph showing the relationship between set point power and resonant frequency;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a power supply having multiple transformer-less power oscillators for ozone generation across multiple ozone cells according to one embodiment; and

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams illustrating a power supply having a transformer-less power oscillator for ozone generation in a single ozone cell according to other particular embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a typical ozone generator 100. The ozone generator 100 includes a bank of ozone generating units, referred to herein as ozone cells 110 a . . . 110 n. Oxygen (O₂) is supplied to each ozone cell 110 through an oxygen inlet 120 for conversion into a mixture of ozone (O₃) and oxygen (O₂). The resulting ozone mixture flows out of the ozone generator 100 through an ozone outlet 130.

Components of the ozone cell 110 typically include opposing electrode plates (not shown) and a dielectric barrier (not shown). The dielectric barrier is positioned against one of the electrode plates, forming a channel between the dielectric barrier and the opposing electrode plate. In operation, oxygen (O₂) passing through the channel is acted upon by an electrical discharge causing the dissolution and recombination of the oxygen atoms into ozone molecules. To cause the electrical discharge or flux, high voltage AC power is applied across the opposing electrode plates of each ozone cell 110.

The high voltage AC power is provided by a bank of power oscillators 140 a . . . 140 n with each oscillator 140 supplying power to a respective ozone cell 110. The power oscillators 140 are coupled to a common DC power supply 150 that can convert single-phase or three-phase AC line voltage 152 into a regulated DC voltage (Vdc). Each oscillator 140, in turn, converts the regulated DC voltage (Vdc) into high voltage AC power that is supplied to a corresponding/respective ozone cell 110, resulting in the electrical discharge or electrical flux needed for ozone generation. An exemplary embodiment of the ozone cell 110 can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,932,180, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Generally, the power oscillators 140 are implemented using transformers to generate high voltage AC power. FIG. 2 is a diagram that illustrates a transformer-based power supply 200 used in an ozone generator according to the prior art. The illustrated power supply 200 consists of a DC power supply 210 and two additional stages: (1) a buck converter 220 for regulation of output power and (2) a self oscillating push-pull converter 230 that includes a transformer 232 to generate the high voltage AC power across the ozone cell 110.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a power supply 300 having a transformer-less power oscillator 310 for ozone generation in a single ozone cell 110 according to one embodiment. The power oscillator 310 includes a power source 320 coupled to a resonant circuit 330. The resonant circuit 330 is coupled, in turn, to the ozone cell 110. The power source 320 can be a switching power source.

In operation, the power source 320 converts a regulated DC voltage (Vdc) from a DC voltage source 210 into a first AC voltage that is supplied to the resonant circuit 330. Preferably, the first AC voltage from the power source 320 has a frequency substantially close to the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit 330. In response, the resonant circuit 330 applies a substantially resonant second AC voltage to the ozone cell 110 causing an electrical discharge or flux within the ozone cell 110. Thus, by coupling the resonant circuit 330 to the power source 320, the power supply 300 is able to provide high voltage AC power (a second AC voltage) needed for ozone generation in the ozone cell 110 without the use of a transformer.

With reference to FIG. 3, a controller 340 provides control signals to the power source 320 that cause the power source 320 to modulate the frequency and/or duty cycle of the first AC voltage resulting in the resonant circuit 330 providing a substantially second AC resonant voltage having a desired magnitude to the ozone cell 110. In some embodiments the second resonant AC voltage can be 4.5 kVpk at 30 kHz.

In operation, the controller 340 compares a reference current REF with a sensed input current at the power source 320 and sends control signals (gate control signals) to the power source 320 to make adjustments to the operating frequency or duty cycle of the power source 320 to obtain the desired magnitude. The first AC voltage can be modulated by the controller 340 using pulse-width modulation and/or frequency modulation. In some embodiments, the controller 340 can be configured to sense voltage, current, or a combination thereof to determine and control the desired resonant voltage.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a power supply 400 having a transformer-less power oscillator 404 for ozone generation in a single ozone cell 110 according to a particular embodiment. In the illustrated embodiment, the resonant circuit 420 is a series resonant circuit including a resonant inductor 422 coupled in series with a resonant capacitor 424. The ozone cell 110 is coupled in parallel with the resonant capacitor 424. The resonant capacitor 424 can be a separate individual capacitor, the natural capacitance of the ozone cell 110, or a combination thereof. In the illustrated embodiment, the power source 410 is a half bridge inverter including two switching elements 412 a, 412 b connected in series. The switching elements 412 a, 412 b can be MOSFETs, BJTs, IGBTs and/or any other type switching elements known in the art. The electrical connection between the switching elements 412 a, 412 b is connected to the resonant circuit 420. The power source 410 can also be a full bridge inverter as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B.

In operation, a DC power supply 210 supplies a regulated DC voltage (Vdc) to the power source/half bridge inverter 410. Control signals from the controller 340 are provided to a gate driver 540 (FIGS. 5A and 5B) that causes the switches 412 a, 412 b to turn on and off resulting in the half bridge inverter 410 supplying the first AC voltage having a frequency substantially close to the resonant frequency of the series resonant circuit 420. Particularly, the first AC voltage applied to the resonant circuit 420 can be square wave pulses with a controlled duty cycle. The control signals can also change the duty cycle of the half bridge inverter 410 to alter the magnitude of the second resonant AC voltage applied to the ozone cell 110. In response to receiving the first AC voltage from the half bridge inverter 410, the series resonant circuit 420 provides a resonant or substantially second resonant AC voltage across the ozone cell 110 such that an electrical discharge or flux is provided within the cell to effect conversion of oxygen (O₂) to ozone (O₃). Particularly, the resonant circuit 420 converts the applied square wave pulses with a controlled duty cycle to a high voltage sine wave of controlled amplitude. According to one embodiment, the frequency and magnitude of the second resonant AC voltage is approximately 4.5 kVpk at 30 kHz.

The ratio of ozone (O₃) to oxygen (O₂) depends on the amount of power supplied to the ozone cells 110. The power applied to the ozone cell 110 increases in proportion to the voltage applied to the ozone cell 110 and is regulated by the controller 340 in accordance with the reference signal REF as described above. Thus, by changing the operating frequency or duty cycle of the half bridge inverter 410, the controller 340 can alter the concentration of ozone. Further, the resonant frequency changes with even a small variation in inductance and capacitance. Thus, the resonant circuit 420 should have a high Q factor (greater than or equal to 10) to eliminate the need for transformer. Therefore, the controller 340 should be independent of the resonant component variation.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show a detailed schematic of embodiments of a controller 500. The major components of the controller 500 include a pulse-width modulated integrated circuit (PWM IC) 510, a first operational/error amplifier 520, a second operational/error amplifier 530, a gate driver circuit 540, a first resistor 550, and a second resistor 560.

FIG. 5A shows one embodiment of a frequency modulated controller 500′. In operation, the operational amplifier/error amplifier 520 compares the sensed DC input current 522 with the set point DC current 524. The resistors 550, 560 control the frequency of the PWM IC 510. The output of the error amplifier 520 controls the current flowing through the resistor 550 by pulling it up or down and thus controls the frequency of the controller 510. The controller 500′ includes an auto tuning circuit that ensures the initial frequency generated by the error amplifier 520 is the maximum operating frequency of the resonant circuit 420 (FIG. 4).

The tuning circuit includes a resistor 526, a capacitor 528, and a small offset voltage at the sensed input of the error amplifier 520. In operation, when the tuning circuit powers up, the DC current set point 524 slowly increases from zero to its set point through a delay created by the resistor 526 and capacitor 528. In that time, the offset voltage at the error amplifier 520 ensures that the frequency generated by the error amplifier is the maximum operating frequency of the circuit. The maximum resonant frequency is determined by considering the maximum tolerance on the resonant circuit elements and the capacity of the switching devices.

FIG. 6 shows a graph showing the relationship between the set point power and the resonant frequency. As shown, as the set point power increases, the pulse-width modulation frequency starts reducing from its maximum value toward maximum power. That is, pulse-width modulation frequency walks over the resonant curve to achieve the maximum power.

It is important to control the ozone cell 110 voltage because the ozone cell 110 voltage can rise to a very high voltage during auto-tuning of the frequency for maximum power. Thus, the controller 500′ includes a second operational amplifier/error amplifier 530. The error amplifier 530 controls the resonant voltage of the ozone cell 110 by comparing the sensed resonant current 532 to the set point resonant current 534.

The resonant current can also be controlled by using pulse-width modulation. FIG. 5B shows one embodiment of a pulse-width modulation controller 500″. The operation of the pulse-width modulation controller 500″ is similar to the operation with respect to the frequency modulated controller 500′ as described above.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a power supply 600 having multiple transformer-less power oscillators 404 a . . . 404 n for ozone generation across multiple ozone cells 110 a . . . 110 n according to one embodiment. In the illustrated embodiment, the regulated DC voltage (Vdc) (e.g. approximately 400V) is provided by a known full bridge high frequency converter 610. The high frequency converter 610 includes a rectifier stage 612, a full bridge switching stage 614, a transformer stage 616, and a filter stage 618. Other circuits known to those skilled in the art can also be implemented to provide the regulated DC voltage. The power oscillators 404 a . . . 404 n are coupled to a corresponding/respective ozone cell 110 a . . . 110 n to provide the high voltage AC power. Each oscillator 404 includes a power source 410 coupled to a resonant circuit 420. In the illustrated embodiment, the power sources 410 are half bridge inverters implemented using MOSFET switching devices 412 a, 412 b. Other switching devices known to those skilled in the art may also be utilized. Also, mixed implementations of half-bridge oscillators, full-bridge oscillators, and other known devices may be employed. The operation of the illustrated embodiment is similar to the operation described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 4.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams illustrating a power supply 700 having a transformer-less power oscillator for ozone generation in a single ozone cell 110 according to other particular embodiments. In both embodiments, the power source 710 is implemented as a full bridge converter with four switching elements 712 a, 712 b, 712 c, 712 d coupled as shown.

As shown in FIG. 8A, a voltage supply 210 supplies regulated DC voltage (Vdc) to the full bridge converter 710. The full bridge converter 710 is coupled to a series resonant circuit 720 having a resonant inductor 722 coupled in series with a resonant capacitor 724. The resonant circuit 720 is coupled, in turn, to an ozone cell 110 as shown.

As shown in FIG. 8B, a current supply 730 supplies a regulated DC current (Idc) to the full bridge converter 710. The full bridge converter 710 is coupled to a parallel resonant circuit 740 having a resonant inductor 742 coupled in parallel to a resonant capacitor 744. The resonant circuit 740 is coupled, in turn, to an ozone cell 110 as shown.

In either embodiment, the resonant capacitor can be a separate individual capacitor or can be the natural capacitance of the ozone cell 110 or combination of both an individual capacitor and natural capacitance of the cell.

While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims. 

1. A method of supplying power for ozone generation, comprising: providing a transformer-less oscillator comprising a power source and a resonant circuit; directly coupling the resonant circuit having a q-factor between the power source and an ozone generating unit, where the q-factor is greater than or equal to 10; providing a first AC voltage from the power source to the resonant circuit; and providing a second AC voltage from the resonant circuit to the ozone generating unit, the second AC voltage being greater than the first AC voltage and sufficient to power the ozone generating unit.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a second AC voltage further comprises: providing a substantially resonant voltage from the resonant circuit to the ozone generating unit in response to the first AC voltage having a frequency substantially close to a resonant frequency of the resonant circuit.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein directly coupling a resonant circuit further comprises: forming a series resonant circuit by coupling a resonant inductor in series with a resonant capacitor.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the resonant capacitor is an individual capacitor, a natural capacitance of the ozone generating unit, or a combination of both an individual capacitor and natural capacitance of the ozone generating unit.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: forming a parallel resonant circuit by coupling a resonant inductor in parallel with a resonant capacitor.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the resonant capacitor is an individual capacitor, a natural capacitance of the ozone generating unit, or a combination of both an individual capacitor and natural capacitance of the ozone generating unit.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the power source is a half bridge inverter.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the power source is a full bridge inverter.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the power source is a switching power source.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the switching power source includes MOSFETs, BJTs, or IGBTs.
 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: providing signals to the power source; and in response to the signals, modulating the first AC voltage, resulting in the second AC voltage having a desired voltage magnitude.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein modulating the first AC voltage comprises: modulating pulse width of the first AC voltage.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein modulating the first AC voltage comprises: modulating frequency of the first AC voltage.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the provided signals to the power source allow the resonant circuit to operate at or near its resonant frequency.
 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising tuning to a maximum operating frequency of the resonant circuit and approaching the resonant frequency of the circuit to obtain a desired operating level, by comparing a sensed input DC current to a set point input current.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: controlling a resonant voltage of the ozone generating unit during tuning to the maximum operating frequency of the resonant circuit; and approaching the resonant frequency of the circuit by comparing a sensed resonant current to a set point resonant current.
 17. A method for supplying power for ozone generation, comprising: providing a plurality of transformer-less oscillators, each comprising a power source and a resonant circuit; directly coupling each resonant circuit, each resonant circuit having a q-factor, between a respective power source and one of a plurality of ozone generating units, such that each power source and ozone generating unit are coupled to only one resonant circuit, where the q-factor is greater than or equal to 10; providing a first AC voltage from each power source to a respective resonant circuit; and providing a second AC voltage from the respective resonant circuit to a respective ozone generating unit, the second AC voltage being greater than the first AC voltage and sufficient to power said respective ozone generating unit.
 18. A power supply for ozone generation, comprising: a plurality of transformer-less oscillators, each comprising a power source and a resonant circuit; each resonant circuit having a q-factor and being directly coupled between a respective power source and one of a plurality of ozone generating units, such that each power source and ozone generating unit are coupled to only one resonant circuit, where the q-factor is greater than or equal to 10; and each power source being configured to providing a first AC voltage to a respective resonant circuit, the respective resonant circuit being configured to providing a second AC voltage to a respective ozone generating unit, the second AC voltage being greater than the first AC voltage and sufficient to power said respective ozone generating unit.
 19. A power supply for ozone generation, comprising: means for providing a transformer-less oscillator comprising a power source and a resonant circuit; means for directly coupling the resonant circuit having a q-factor between the power source and an ozone generating unit, where the q-factor is greater than or equal to 10; means for providing a first AC voltage from the power source to the resonant circuit; and means for providing a second AC voltage from the resonant circuit to the ozone generating unit, the second AC voltage being greater than the first AC voltage and sufficient to power the ozone generating unit.
 20. A power supply for ozone generation, comprising: a transformer-less oscillator comprising a power source and a resonant circuit; the resonant circuit having a q-factor and being directly coupled between the power source and an ozone generating unit, where the q-factor is greater than or equal to 10, and the power source being configured to providing a first AC voltage to the resonant circuit, and the resonant circuit being configured to providing a second AC voltage to the ozone generating unit, the second AC voltage being greater than the first AC voltage and sufficient to power the ozone generating unit. 